Opel Antara GTC World premiere at the IAA

Press Release

The interior

An unusual mix of colors and materials

Front seats on monorails – fold-away back seats

The fascinating contrast between a luxurious, classy look and solid, muscular details also abounds in the interior of the Opel Antara GTC. Warm tones and the generous use of leather are caught up in a charming interplay with technical materials like carbon fiber (seat back), stainless steel and aluminum (cockpit). Colorwise, the interior is quite clearly split in two: Dark-brown dominates the upper part of the instrument panel and door liners, while the rest is light beige.

The panoramic roof system has been borrowed from the new Opel Zafira and has been further developed for this study. The two large skylights give the occupants a light and very pleasant atmosphere to travel in. Dark tinted glass provides protection from excessive sunshine. The roof console, which runs along the roof center and extends over the whole length of the car interior, offers additional stowing space. Another ingenious storage facility for everyday utensils is the special leather bag that can be moved along a rail between the front and rear seats. It can also be taken along on a shopping or sightseeing trip.

One eye-catching detail is the center console, which extends well into the interior. It accommodates not only the compact sturdy gear lever of the Easytronic transmission, but also three large round ventilation nozzles and the controls for the infotainment system and air-condition. Side handles to hold on at the bottom of the center console reflect the off-road character of the concept vehicle. The unusual material mix in the Antara GTC climaxes in the center console: The ventilation nozzles literally stand out from their glossy piano-black finish surrounds, and the gear lever is ringed by brushed stainless steel. Like the cockpit, the controls for the infotainment system and the air-condition are backlit in turquoise.

The instruments are also backlit in turquoise and are accommodated in an aluminum housing – an impressive combination of structural strength and optical elegance. When off-road, displays in the two circular instruments keep the driver constantly informed of the gradient (up or down) and of the lateral angle of the Antara GTC.

Even the pedals have a connection with the exterior. They are covered with non-slip rubber that has the same unusual profile as the Antara tires. . Instead of a conventional carpet, the SUV study is fitted with sisal – a convincing solution that combines a certain stylishness with excellent wear properties.

Automatic versatility: Clever ideas for the seats and luggage space

With their striking contours, the four seats look as if they have been made to measure for the passengers. The front seats are anchored on mono-rails, giving the effect of floating about in the interior. With the aid of an easy-entry system, they slide right forward to the instrument panel at the press of a button to make it easier for the rear passengers to get on board. A sensor device ensures that no-one is actually sitting on the seats during this operation.

The rear seats can be automatically folded away, raising the luggage volume to a generous 2,400 liters by the VDA standard. The luggage area is completely flat up to the front seats thanks to a moving double floor, the upper half of which is easily pushed to the front like a tray over the retracted back seats. Here, too, sisal is used as the lining material.

"With the Antara GTC, we have again showed that a sporty design does not have to exclude a practical interior. Combining the sporty with the practical is a core area of competence for Opel," said Frank Leopold, Manager GME Innovation, Show Cars and Advanced Packaging, summarizing the study's interior concept.

The powertrain

Strong Common-Rail Diesel with Twin-Turbo Technology

Two-stage turbocharged 1.9 CDTI with 212 hp and 400 Nm

The Opel SUV study is powered by a 156 kW/212 hp twin-turbo version of the successful 1.9 CDTI ECOTEC common-rail diesel engine. With its hefty torque at low engine speeds (max. 400 Nm from 1400 rpm.), the two-stage turbocharged concept diesel unit is absolutely ideal for this type of vehicle. In combination with the six-speed automatic transmission, computer simulations yield statistics that are impressive for the four-wheel driven Antara GTC concept: A top speed of over 210 km/h and an acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in around 8 seconds.

The transversally installed four-cylinder engine features two overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and a variable turbo blade geometry. The fuel supply to the cylinders is controlled by a common-rail system with a pressure of up to 1600 bar.

The heart of the innovative twin-turbo technology of the concept diesel engine is forced aspiration through two exhaust-driven turbochargers, which unlike “biturbo” systems operate in series rather than in parallel: A smaller, highly responsive turbocharger for the low engine speed range, a larger turbocharger designed for high output to take over as the revs build up. Thanks to its superior efficiency, the twin-turbo system can achieve an extremely high specific power output, without disadvantages in fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. Like all Opel's 1.9 CDTI production cars, the Antara GTC concept is equipped with the maintenance-free diesel particulate filter system (DPF).

The modern chassis of the Antara GTC is also dedicated to agile handling. McPherson struts are used on the front axle, and there is a four-link axle at the rear. The rack-and-pinion power steering guarantees precise handling.

Development

Consistent "Made by Opel" strategy secures know-how

Every detail was made at the Rüsselsheim development center

Not only was the Opel Antara GTC designed at the International Technical Development Center in Rüsselsheim, it was also built there by hand. This makes it the first ready-to-drive study for a long time not to have originated from a specialized body manufacturer but to have been fully developed and built in-house.

Even the extravagant front and rear headlamps with LED technology and the many aluminum and stainless steel components (including the underride protection, side vents for the engine and radiator grill struts) are "Made by Opel". The only exception are the tires, which were produced jointly with Dunlop. Some 70 skilled engineers and technicians from Opel's prototype construction, design and advanced engineering departments were involved in this high-caliber SUV study, which is expected to be one of the main attractions at this year's IAA in Frankfurt.

The advantages of in-house development are considerable: "Short communications mean fast decisions," said Kurt Beyer, who is responsible for the design. Apart from that, the transfer of design data within the company's network is very easy, and background knowledge of how the Group's vehicles are built considerably facilitates working procedures.

Another factor, says Gerhard Mathes, who is project manager for the study, is that "here, the empathy with the product is, by nature, much stronger than it is for a supplier who builds concept cars for several different firms." Many members of the team had surpassed themselves, successfully trying out new ideas. "The know-how to emerge from this will be of considerable benefit to the company," said Mathes. Apart from that, the project ties in perfectly with the policy announced by GM Europe's President, Carl-Peter Forster, namely to do as much work as possible in-house. This was also made possible because the Antara GTC concept car was a longer-term project than most studies. Mathes: "When we have capacity bottlenecks, we will certainly also renew our successful cooperation with the specialized body manufacturers in Italy".